Seven mosques to check out for Visit My Mosque weekend
This year, more than 115 mosques will be welcoming members of the wider community as part of the annual initiative. Here are just a few of them
For one weekend each year, mosques across the UK open their doors to their wider community, offering visitors the chance to share a cup of tea, ask questions and learn more about the people who worship in them.
This year, at a time when mosques are often targets of racially and religiously motivated crime, the annual Muslim Council of Britain’s Visit My Mosque weekend feels even more important and necessary than usual. More than 70 attacks on mosques were recorded across the UK in the past year, according to data from the British Muslim Trust, with incidents including violence, property damage and harassment.
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Now in its 11th year, the initiative takes place on 19 and 20 September, with more than 115 mosques taking part. Over those two days, people of all faiths and backgrounds are invited to meet their Muslim neighbours and discover the histories and communities behind their local mosques. Here are seven that are well worth visiting.
Cheadle Masjid, Greater Manchester
This mosque opened in January 2004 when Cheadle Muslim Association acquired the former St Columba’s Church. The converted building eventually became too small for the growing congregation, leading to the construction of a new purpose-built place space, which opened in 2023.
Today, it is more than just a place of worship. The mosque hosts a scout troop, martial arts classes, women’s fitness groups, dementia support sessions, mother and toddler groups and special educational needs sessions for children.
During the open day, visitors can expect exhibitions, mosque tours, arts and crafts, refreshments and activities for children. Visitors can RSVP here.
Saturday 19 September, 11am to 3pm
Al-Ikhlas Centre, Cardiff
In the Adamsdown neighbourhood of Cardiff, where around one in five residents identified as Muslim in the 2021 census, Al-Ikhlas Culture and Education Centre serves a diverse community. The mosque was established in 2013 after Abdul Rauf, a Bengali businessman, donated the building.
Today, its congregation includes people from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan, Morocco, Syria and elsewhere.
Saturday 19 September, 9am to 3:30pm
Old Kent Road Mosque, London
Old Kent Road Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre is home to London’s oldest Nigerian Muslim community. The mosque is operated by the Muslim Association of Nigeria, which was formed in the early 1960s when Nigerian students in London started organising religious and social activities.
The association established a permanent base on Old Kent Road in 1993, after the community raised funds to purchase a Victorian former pub. The mosque has since embarked on an ambitious £9m redevelopment, which will replace the existing building with a six-storey structure, complete with a prayer hall, community centre and commercial spaces.
Sunday 20 September, 1pm to 5pm
Indonesian Islamic Centre, London
The Indonesian community’s journey towards having a permanent place of worship began in 1996, when the Indonesian Islamic Society was established in north-west London. Before then, Indonesian Muslims in the UK gathered for prayers and religious events at the Indonesian embassy, private homes and study groups.
After almost three decades of fundraising, the community bought its current property in 2022, creating London’s first Indonesian mosque. Today, the centre serves more than 3,000 Indonesian Muslims in London and the surrounding area.
Saturday 19 September, 11am to 3pm
Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre, Walsall
Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre was first established to serve Walsall’s growing South Asian Muslim population in the 1960s and 1970s. The community initially worshipped in a small house before moving to larger premises and eventually raising funds for a purpose-built mosque.
Construction began in 1983 and the mosque was completed five years later, with much of the money raised locally.
Sunday 20 September, 11am to 5pm
Leeds Grand Mosque
Leeds Grand Mosque has been a hub of the city’s Muslim community since 1994. The striking, brutalist building was completed in 1965 and functioned until 1993 as the Sacred Heart Church. The mosque is the largest in Leeds, with a regular congregation of more than 2,000 and a particularly diverse community. It is also home to Leeds’s first Muslim scout group, which launched in 2006.
Saturday 19 September, 4pm to 6pm
Edinburgh Central Mosque
Designed by Iraqi architect Basil Al-Bayati, the mosque opened in 1998. Its design combines traditional Islamic features with elements inspired by Scottish baronial architecture.
Located close to the University of Edinburgh and the National Museum of Scotland, the mosque has become an important part of both Edinburgh’s Muslim community and the city’s architectural landscape.
Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, 11am to 5pm
